


Departure

by That_1_Name



Category: The Pacific (TV)
Genre: M/M, Not about that tragedy here . . . not yet anyway, Sad with a Happy Ending, metaphorical death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-03
Updated: 2019-05-03
Packaged: 2020-02-16 19:36:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18697879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/That_1_Name/pseuds/That_1_Name
Summary: One last train ride before everything goes back to normal.  Life will return to the way it was before the war started, which means that there’s no room in that past for Snafu.  Tonight, Snafu will die.





	Departure

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, this has been sitting in my box for a while, and I have been meaning to add more to it but at the moment the muse has left me. Here then I offer to you my first Pacific entry, which may or may not be a hot mess, but who doesn't love hot messes in this fandom?

The diner car was alive and bustling with men from all branches of the military celebrating the end to a long and grueling war.  Marines, Army, Navy, they were all laughing, united together in victory.  The merriment seemed infectious as not one person in that car couldn’t help but to bolster out a terrible joke, hit on the female passengers passing through, or laugh out with the life and energy that they somehow were able to keep. 

 

Snafu stared past the revelry and out at the passing landscape as if he could sense the beckoning call of home.  In the ragged corner of his soul, a breath was caught in anxiety.  A funeral needs to be held soon, he knows this much, but he’s not sure if he could stand the farewell. 

 

_What about after the war?_

There’s no “after” for people like Snafu.  This is a truth he’s come to recognize.  On this train, Snafu will die, so for the moment he drinks to his own memory.  He rises from his seat, glass offered up to the heaven he’ll soon be going to, which earns him cheers from all the men in the car needing no excuse to guzzle down more booze.  A bitter grin crosses his face, eyes too foggy to clearly see the images of these men who seem to be fading and returning back to their home far, far away on a foreign land.

 

“Well, we’ve ‘ad our fun. Fought, and kicked ‘de ass out of some Japs!  The war is oveah’, so, to keep dis short, I’m going home!”

 

An uproar erupts that shakes the glasses hanging behind the bar.

 

Snafu downs his drink in an instant, slams the bottle on a nearby table and, without a second glance, leaves the bright and lively warmth of the diner car.  

 

 The silence is a striking change, like a funeral parlor where people are too scared to speak up as if any sudden noises would wake the recently deceased.  His fingers twitch for a cigarette, something to help calm the nerves.  He decides to indulge himself, a dying man’s last request.  With slow intent, savoring this moment, he lights up, breathing in deep.  He leans against the doorframe just outside the passenger car with the wind howling just outside as the train rumbles forward with its cargo.

 

Just past the door he can see the top of a sleeping figure.  Everything was blurring, but, like a flare lighting up the treetops, there was that rust colored hair; the world started falling into place, slowly lining back up to at least make the ground stop shaking.  If only the ground did stop once it was aligned. Snafu grins around his cigarette, teeth involuntarily biting down a little harder on the end of it. 

 

He’s not sure how much time passes with him just staring as if afraid that when he looks away the image will be gone when he looks back.  Well, that is partially true.  The two of them will die here tonight on this train, the last place where the war still clings to them.  Maybe it’s after the third or fourth cigarette that Snafu finally decides to go in, to offer something to his dying partner.  A eulogy is usually typical at these things, and, personally, Snafu doesn’t really like the idea of one for him.  What’s there to say about a life like his?  A man like Sledgehammer on the other hand, well, it would be sacrilege not to offer at least a few words.  Finally, he’s seated across from him, taking in his peaceful, death like sleep as if he beat him to it already. 

 

The words are stuck though.  Snafu can’t say anything for once.  In his head though, the words come beautifully that if Sledgehammer was awake he was sure he would say something about the profundity of it.

 

_Though we part ways_

_Just know I enjoyed our days_

 “Last call for New Orleans!”

 

Time is up, the reaper is calling.

 

_Go be happy and smile_

_Live a life worthwhile_

His eyes don’t waver as he undoes the Marine pin attached to his lapel.  Resting it on the seat, he gets up and grabs his bag. 

 

_Forget me, please, Sledgehammer_

Once he steps off, Snafu will be dead, and Merriell will live again.  He wonders how much Snafu will be missed, but he doesn’t give it much thought before his feet land on the pavement of the station.  He takes in a deep breath, the echo of Snafu gasping.    

 

_Goodbye . . ._

 

He exhales his dying breath.

Merriell falls in line with the other marines and returns home, back to the life that was on hold.  He thinks about an old bar he forgotten about, deciding a cold drink would be good for him.

 

 

_-_-_-_-_-_-_

 

_Another life, another chance._

(Epilogue: Arrival)

 

            Eugene can barely hear himself think over the loud noise in the bar.  A part of him regrets coming to New Orleans, but the nearby University had some books relevant to his thesis on hold for him.  Sadly, they would not lend them out, so he has been recently staying in the area till he reads through the volumes he came for.  After long nights spent with his nose in those books, he thought that he should take in the nearby locales for a nice change of pace.  Might as well since he’s gonna be here for another few months at least.  He rubs the bridge of his nose out of a need to push back the headache that’s been lingering there for too long.  That’s when he notices a rather strange looking fellow staring at him from across the bar. 

 

            He decides he doesn’t much care for this man with the large eyes.

 

            Before he could get up and sneak out of the place, the stranger approaches him, sitting down at his table with the biggest grin on his face.

           

            “You look like a fish that don’ got caugh’ up and thrown in a net.”

 

            It takes a second to process what was just said, the accent was a little thick in his voice, almost as thick as the curls in this one’s hair.  Before Eugene could respond the stranger spoke up, “Must be new, I know evry’body that comes ‘ere.”

 

            “Ye-yes, I’m just visiting.”

 

            “One of ‘em educated types, I reckon.”

 

“How can you tell?”

 

“Jus’ the way you hold yourself.  If there’s one thing I know ‘bout ‘em is that they’re so tightly wound they look a knot fixin’ to snap.”

 

            Eugene is completely at a loss of what to make of this man.  Personally, he curses his innate southern hospitality otherwise he would have bolted the moment the man sat down . . . so why hasn’t he yet? Maybe it has to do with that strange spark he can see in those large eyes aimed right at him.

 

            “Have we met before?”

 

            “Nu-uh, I ‘member a red head like you.”  That stupid grin is aimed at him, and, against his best efforts, Eugene can’t help it when his own mouth curls up.

 

            “Weird, must be my mistake.”

 

            “Yeah, mus’ be, but I wouldn’t mind getting to know ya.  People call me Merriell.”

 

            “Eugene, nice to meet you.”

 

            “Eugene, huh, that’s a nice name, mind if I buy ya a drink?”

 

 

 

_Found each other in the afterlife, just so we could have another dance_

_-_-_-_-_-_-_

 

**Author's Note:**

> A song inspired this piece, made writing it a sad trip. I'll edit it here at a later point, for now, if you made it this far, thanks for reading and hope you have a lovely day xoxox


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